The Lux Photography Awards They have once again brought together a large representation of the professional sector in Barcelona to celebrate a new edition marked by the reaffirmation of human sensitivity in times of artificial intelligence. The event, organized by the Association of Professional Photographers of Spain (AFPE), once again consolidates these awards as the benchmark showcase for professional photography in Spain.
On Disseny Hub BarcelonaThe usual venue for the gala brought together established photographers, emerging talent, and cultural institutions to recognize works ranging from social report and documentary From still life and landscape to fashion and portraiture, the message of the night was clear, beyond the glitz of the awards: the human gaze remains irreplaceable for telling stories, evoking emotions, and leaving a lasting impression.
A gala celebrating the human gaze in the age of AI
The AFPE emphasized during the ceremony that emotions, sensitivity, and the essence of humanity They are today the true differentiating factor in the face of the irruption of artificial intelligence in the world of images. Works such as “Absences”, by the photographer Rafa FierresThe photographs documenting the aftermath of the DANA storm in Valencia were cited as an example of how professional photography is able to narrate tragedy and pain with a force that goes beyond any algorithm.
The gala featured Photolari As the media outlet responsible for presenting the event, they brought a friendly and engaging tone to a ceremony that alternated between photographic slideshows, institutional speeches, and the awards presentation. With anecdotes and commentary tinged with photography, the presenters guided an audience that remained attentive until the very end.
At the institutional level, the Generalitat de Catalunya, The Provincial Council of Seville, the Balearic Government and the Cabildo of Tenerife Their presence lent its support to an event that also seeks to strengthen the cultural and economic recognition of professional photography. For AFPE, this support is key to continuing to promote a sector that combines artistic creation, documentation, and commercial work.
The president of the Association, Eva CasadoShe opened the ceremony with a message that set the tone for the evening: it wasn't just about handing out awards, but about reclaiming the personal perspective of each author and to thank the professionals for their ability to transform commissions, personal projects and everyday scenes into images with a vocation to last.
At the close of the gala, the general feeling among attendees was that, despite the rise of automatic and generative tools, auteur photography continues to thrive, supported by real stories, careful processes, and a strong creative commitment.
A list of achievements marked by Galician talent and the weight of the landscape
One of the focuses of this edition was on the Galician talentwho shone brightly once again among the award winners. The man from Santiago de Compostela Roberto Ouro He once again established himself as one of the protagonists of the night by achieving a Gold Lux in the Landscape and Nature category with the work “The giants of the sea”.
This image, taken in the Beach of SilenceOn the Asturian coast, the result of months of work scouring the coastline in search of the right light, tide, and atmosphere. The jury highlighted the compositional balance, the interplay of light and shadow and that almost pictorial character that the author achieves, capable of transforming a much-photographed enclave into a scene of great visual force.
Ouro himself explained that his intention was to capture the magic of the place and transform it into a work capable of speaking for itself, without needing too much explanation. On stage, the photographer wanted to thank his partner, Mónica Blanco, for her support, and the collective drive of the Association of Photographers of Galicia (Asfogal), to which he attributed much of his professional development in recent years.
It wasn't the only recognition he received in this edition: the author from Santiago de Compostela also won an award in the subcategory of Sports Documentary Report thanks to the project “The salt of surfing”, where it combines action, natural surroundings and a close look at the culture of this sport.
Alongside him, another name closely linked to the Lux family reappeared in the list of winners: Fuco Reyes, also from Santiago, added a new award in the subcategory of Free Personal Project with the series “To return the gaze”The jury especially valued the editing work and visual coherence of the whole, which reinforces an already consolidated trajectory with more than a dozen Lux awards accumulated
The Galician presence was completed with the work of Cristina Becerra Lorenzo, distinguished with a Lux de Oro in Social Reportage by “Remembrance”A series that offers a glimpse into the private lives of a group of girls on the day of one of their First Communion, capturing spontaneous moments and an atmosphere of complicity far removed from traditional posed photographs. For his part, the photographer Marcos Rodríguez got a Bronze Lux in Documentary Report by “At the usual time”a work focused on the everyday life and the value of traditions like threads that sustain life in community.
Portraiture, fashion, reportage and memory: the other major protagonists
Beyond the landscape, the jury focused on the capacity of portraiture and reportage to reflect complex realities and contained emotions. The photographer Pablo Grimaret Igeño He became one of the most awarded authors of the night by winning the Gold in the Portrait category and Silver in Fashion and BeautyHis images were praised for their "timeless power" and for the intensity of seemingly childlike gazes that were nonetheless full of maturity, giving the works an almost psychological interpretation.
On the ground of social report and documentary, the already mentioned Cristina Becerra and the photographer Alberto De la Fuente They were among the key names in the competition. While Becerra focused on an intimate and familial scene with “Lembranza,” De la Fuente was recognized with a Gold Lux Award for Documentary Report through a work with a strong social charge, which demonstrates a way of understanding photography as a tool to tell about processes, conflicts and realities that often go unnoticed.
Among the commercial campaigns, one of the projects that most caught the jury's attention was the series “HONDA 1965”, Signed by Pep ÁvilaIt recreates Honda's first Formula 1 victory, using the same circuit and the original carThe jury valued the coherence of the concept and the ability to to construct a visual journey to the past without sacrificing a modern and technically meticulous finish.
Another prominent name in the edition was that of the Italian-Argentine photographer based in Tenerife. Pablo Mellino, awarded the Silver in the Still Life category for the series “Flowers of Kalandra”In this set of images, the author opts for a restrained yet expressive aesthetic, with a careful lighting scheme that enhances the shapes, textures and an atmosphere charged with symbolismFilmed at the Bliont studio in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the series has also given a boost to the collective project he shares with his colleagues.
The category of Personal project It also left its mark, with the Bronze Lux for the photographer from Almagro Juan Palomino by “50 years is nothing”This work stems from the digitization of his father's photographic archive. Luis PalominoJuan, who photographed hundreds of local residents for their ID photos more than half a century ago, has used those negatives to search for and photograph those people again, creating a visual dialogue between past and present which speaks of memory, the passage of time, and collective identity.
For Palomino himself, the AFPE recognition has a very special value: it not only represents his fifth Lux awardbut rather comes from fellow professionals, which reinforces the community nature of awards that aim to be, above all, a meeting place for the sector.
Nature, invisible networks and emerging talent
In the field of nature photography, the play “Everything is a network” of the photographer Ferran Aguilar Antón It was one of the most talked about. With this project, the author—a native of Tarragona now living in Andújar—aims to highlight the vital relationship between humans and insectsAt a time when the disappearance of pollinators is reaching alarming levels, her images underscore that the survival of many species, including our own, depends on a delicate ecological balance.
Aguilar's work aligns with a growing trend within Lux: that of using photography as environmental awareness tool, combined with a carefully crafted aesthetic that avoids a catastrophic tone and focuses on showcasing the beauty and complexity of the natural world.
In the chapter of emerging talent, the Lux Junior Award It fell to the photographer Uri Reis, who surprised the jury with a series described as “very well executed, finely edited, and with a beautiful idea.” According to the jury co-chairs, Eva M. Vives Jiménez y Marta LluciàThis award demonstrates that new generations are arriving with a solid technical level and a very personal vision of what contemporary photography can be.
The jury itself was a topic of conversation among the attendees. As usual, it was composed of photographers and communications professionals of renowned prestigewhich contribute diverse perspectives from fields such as advertising, publishing, art, and photojournalism. This mix of profiles aims to ensure that the works are valued for both their visual impact as well as for its narrative ability and its suitability to different professional contexts.
The jury presidents took the opportunity to highlight the overall quality of the works submitted this year, emphasizing that the final decision was especially tailored in several categories, where the technical and conceptual quality reached very high levels.
A well-established benchmark in Spanish professional photography
Beyond the specific edition, the AFPE recalled at the gala the historical journey of the Lux Awards. Created in 1993This competition has become one of the leading figures in professional photography in Spain, with an uninterrupted trajectory that has already accumulated more than three decades of history.
During that time, the Lux have gathered More than 24.000 images submitted by more than 3.000 professionalsand have awarded Gold, Silver, and Bronze prizes to 260 photographers. Furthermore, their collections have supported over one hundred exhibitions across the country, creating a visual heritage of great importance to understand the recent evolution of photography in Spain.
The prestige of these awards is based both on the quality of the submitted works as well as its selection system. The jury is renewed every year and is made up of leading figures from the world of image and communication. Many of the names that are now benchmarks in the sector—such as Jaume de Laiguana, Rosa Isabel Vázquez or Bèla Adler— they all participated in the Lux competition as authors, which shows the extent to which the contest has served as boosting platform for numerous careers.
The AFPE insists that the purpose of the awards is not limited to handing out trophies. The objective is also to give visibility to daily work of studios, freelancers and creative teams spread throughout Spain, to strengthen their social recognition and contribute to raising awareness among institutions and citizens of cultural, economic and communicative value of photography.
In a context where image production has multiplied exponentially thanks to mobile phones and social networks, Lux champions the role of professional photographer as author, capable of providing criteria, narrative and an aesthetic coherence that goes far beyond immediacy.
With a gala that combined emotion, advocacy, and considerable skill, the Lux Photography Awards have once again confirmed the vibrant creative moment that professional photography is experiencing in Spain: from intimate projects built on family archives to large commercial campaigns, including landscapes worked on for months, socially conscious reportage, and meticulously detailed still lifes, the collection of award-winning works paints a diverse and demanding picture in which the The human gaze remains the true guiding thread..